Internal-combustion engine



July'29, 1930; H. L. TOWER. 1,771,552

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Fil ed July 1a, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR.

2 MZM.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 18, 1928- 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VENTOR.

MZM.

Jii ly 29, 1930. H. TOWER INTERNAL 'COMBUST ION ENGINE Filed July 18,1928 5 Sheets-Sheet J5- Patented July 29 1930 HAROLD L. "rowan, orGREENVILLE, MICHIGAN IN'rnnN-A -coMBUsTIoN ENGINE Application filed.July 18,

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and aims toprovide a novel and having cylinders and pistons for providing principleof which may beused in connection with both two and four cycle enginesfor materially increasing the efiiciency thereof.

Another object of the invention is the pro 10 vision of a crank casehaving partitions therein for providing separate air-tight compartmentsfor the cylinders in whichair is compressed and supplied to theexplosion chamers. I

A further object of the invention is-to provide an engine havingcompound cylinders and pistons of stepped construction, the upperportions of which are used as explosion chambers, while the lowerportions are used as air compressors to provide a super-charged engine.a V

A still further object of the invention is the provision of manifolds inconnection with a carburetor to receive compressed air from thecompression chambers of the crank case and cylinders and conduct thesame to the carburetor for vaporizing the liquid fuel and 40 view, whichwill be apparent as the descrip tion proceeds, the invention resides inthe constructlon and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described andclaimed, it beingunder stood that changes can be made within the a scopeof what is claimed, without departing from the spirit'of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accent panying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a side elevation of my im proved engine,

Figure 2 1s a vertical cross sectlon through 1928. Serial No. 293,667.

one of the cylindersjtaken on'line 22 ofiFiga 'ure 1, and improvedmotive power of this character Figure 3 is a longitudinal verticalsection,

taken on line 3 3. of Figure 2. 5 explosion and compression chambers,the

In carrying out my invention the cylinders of the engine 'areof steppedconstruction each provided with-a bore 11 at the upper- 1 portion and abore 12 of larger size at the lower portion, said cyinders being of thedouble-wall water-cooled type closed at their upper ends by heads 13 andcomprising an nular walls 14 atthe upper ends ofthe larger bores 12. Apiston 15 also of stepped construction works within the bores of thecylinders, the main'or body portion 16 beingadapted to reciprocate inthe bore 12 while a skirt 17 at the lower" end of said i main portionreciprocates in the bore 13, being provided with "the usual packingrings 18; and. 19 respectively, 7 a Connected to the pistons 15 on thewrist 1 pins 20 are connecting rods 21 from a crank shaft 23 enclosedwithinia crank case 22 formed in two longitudinal sections 25 and. 27,the upper sectionbeing formed vintegral 5 with the cylinders andthelower sectionconnected theretoin the usual manner by bolts passingthrough the meeting flanges, as shown in Fig. 2. The crank case isdivided into separate compression chambers below the cylindersbyvertical walls'25'and 26 between which the bearings 24. for the crankshaft are form ed,,and on one end of the crank shaft 23 is ;mounted aflywheel2 8, while on the opposite end thereof is a pulley 29 aboutwhichis trained a chain or belt 30 extending upwardly to and around a pulley31 on the end of a cam shaft 32 supported above the cylinders bysuitable bearings 33, said shaft carrying a plurality ofcams 34 foroperating poppet valves 35 at the ends of passageways 36 leading intothe upper ends of the cylinders, said valves being opened downwardbythecams and moved to closed position'against the seats 40 by coilsprings 39 encircling the stems 38.

At one side of the crank case 22 and for each compartment therein is anipple 41 provided at its outer end'witha valve seat 43 for a valve 44the outwardly projecting stem .45

of which is slidable in a bearing 46 formed on the nipple, said valvesbeing actuated to closed position by a coil spring 47 interposed betweenthe bearing and a head 48 at the outer end of the stem. These valves areadapted to supply air to the compression chambers formed in the crankcase below the several cylinders, the operation of the pistons causingsuction in the compression chambers which will openthe valves for asupply of air on the up-stroke of the pistons to compress it on thedown-stroke at which time said valves will be automatically closed bythe springs. Uorresponding'ly at the opposite side of the crankcase aretubular extensions 49 having seats 50 for outlet valves 51 the stems 52of which are slidable in hearings 53, said valves being normally closed.by springs 54 interposed between said bearings and heads 55 at theouter ends of the valve stems, and the operation of these valves is suchthat when the pistons are on their downward movement they will be forcedopen due to compression of air in the crank case so as to permit thecompressed air to pass by thevalves, but when the pistons are on theirupward strokes the valves are closed by the springs 54, thus the valves44 permit the feeding of air into the crank case upon upward movement ofthe pistons and valves 51 allow the compressed air to pass from thecrank case upon downward movement of the pistons into branch pipes 56 ofa manifold 5758 communicating with a passageway 59 leading into thelower portion of a car- 7 buretor 60.

Located in the annular walls 14 of the cylinders at one side of thelatter are valves 61 closing against seats 62 and having outwardlyprojecting stems 6'3 slidable in bearings 64 formed integrally on theoutside of' the cylinders with coiled springs 65 encircling the stemsand interposed between said bearings and heads 66 on the stems so as tonormally close the valves. 'It can be seen that when thepistons move ina downward direction valves 61 will open due to suction in the lowerportions 12 of the cylinders around the body portion of said pistons,and that when the pistons move in an upward direction the valves will beclosed by the coil springs 65, providing for a compression of air'i nthis part of each; cylinder. For conducting this compressed air to themanifold 57-58 leading to the carburetor a valved outlet 67-7 5 isformed at the oppositeside v of eachcylinder, the valve seat 69receiving a. valve 70 opening outward with respect to the compressionchamber and the valve stem 71 slidable in a suitable bearing 72 beingactuated to closed position by spring 7 3 between said bearing and head74 at the outer endof the stem. About the stems 71 are arranged coilsprings 73 which engage the bearings 72 and heads 74 on the stemsv so asto normally hold the valves in closed position. It can be seen that whenthe pistons move in an upward direction these valves will be forced opendue to the compressing of air in the portions 12 of the cylinders, andthat when said pistons move in a downward direction the valves will beclosed by the coil springs 78, the compressed air being conducted to themanifold 5758 by pipes 77, as hereinbefore mentioned.

The carburetor 60 is of that type in which the compressed air from themanifold 57 may pass around the needle valve 78 thereof to causeliquidfuel fed tothe carburetor by pipe 79 to mix and be vaporized by thecompressed air. Attached to the upper endof thecarbuactor, as at 80, isa manifold 81 which has a horizontal pipe 82 with upturned ends 83communicating with horizontal branch pipes 84 intermediate their ends.At opposite ends of the branch pipes 84 are inwardly and downwardlyextending pipes 85 leading to the cylinder heads as at 86, to connectwith the passageways 36 in said heads for supplying the cylinders withthe fuel mixture. By referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, it can beseen that the stems 38 of the poppet valves 35 at the inlet passageways36' slide through suitable bearings 87 in the portions 85 of themanifold 81, and that exhaust pipes 88 extend from the passageways 36(Fig. 3) for exhausting the cylinders by way of the poppetvalves at thelower end of said passageways, the stems of the valves sliding throughthe manifolds 88 in a similar manner to that already described withreference to the valve stems 38 which pass through the manifold 81.

In operation of the invention, the pistons 15 reciprocate in thecylinders 10, the upper or body portions 16 working in the bore portion11 while the skirts 17 work in the bores 12. On the downward strokes ofthe pistons, the valves v61 in the upper'ends of the annular compressionchambers 12 are opened by suction to permit air to enter therein, andthe valves 51 also opened by suctionto permit air compressed in thecrank caseto pass to the branch portions 56 of the manifold 57. Uponupward strokes of the pistons, the above mentioned valves are closed bythe springs and the valves 70 in the compression chambers of thecylinders are opened to allow the compressed air to pass into the branchpipes 77 of'the manifold 75, during which operation the valves 42 areopened by suction for supplying air to the crank case to be compressedupon the next downward stroke of the pistons. The airforced from thecompression chamber of the cylinder and crank case passes upwardly tothe manifold 57-58 and then to the carburetor where the liquid fuel ismixed and vaporized with the compressed air and passes through themanifold 81 to the upper end of the explosion chambers in the cylindersfor compression and explosion therein.

bers and exhaust gases pass therefrom.

It can be seen that an engine as above described may be constructed soas to be used as a two-cycle or a four-cycle engine, as the principle ofthe engine is such that the air v is compressed prior to the entrancethereof to the explosion chambers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinderseach having bores therein of different diameters, the bore at the upperend of the cylinder being of less diameter than the bore at the lowerend thereof, pistons in said cylinders each having portions of differentdiameter working in the aforesaid bores, the smaller bore form-, ing anexplosion'chamber and the annular space around the piston in 'the'largerbore,

ing partitions forming compression chainbers below the pistonsrespectively and having valved inlet and outlet openings, pipesconnecting the outlet openings to the aforea carburetor in the manifoldfor supplying fuel to the compressed air passing from the compressionchambers and crank case to the explosion chambers.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders,each having an explosion chamber and a compression chamber, pistonsslidable in said cylinders for compressing air in the compressionchambers and the fuel mixture in the explosion chambers, valves forcontrolling the inlet and outlet of air to and from said compressionchain-u bers, a manifold 1n communlcation wlth the outlet from thecompression chambers, a crank case, a crank shaft mounted in said crankcase and connected to the pistons, valves in said crank case foradmitting air thereto upon upward movement of the pistons and forproviding an outlet of compressed air upon downward movement of thepistons,said manifold also communicating with the outlet valves from thecrank case and in communication with the explosion chambers forsupplying compressed air from the compression chambers and crank case tothe explosion chambers, said crank case being divided into air-tightcompartments one below each of saidoylinders, a carburetor arranged inthe manifold for supplying liquid fuel to the compressed air passingfrom the compression chambers and crank caseto the explosion chambers,and valves for controllingthe passage of the fuel mixture into theexplosion chambers.

HAROLD L. TOWER.

. said manifold, a carburetor connected to said manifold at one sidethereof, and a manifold connected to the carburetor at the other sidethereof and to theexplosion chambers of the engine cylinders;

2. An internalcombustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders,eachhaving an explosion chamber and a compression chamber, pistonsslidable in said cylinders for compressing air in the compressionchambers and for operation in the explosion chambers, valves forcontrolling the inlet of air into the compression chambers and theoutlet of air from said compression chambers, a manifold incommunication withthe outlet valves, an enclosed crank case, a crankshaft mounted in said crank case and connected to the pistons, valves insaid crank case for admitting air thereto upon upward movement of thepistons and'providing an outlet for the compressed air upon downwardmovement of the pistons, the aforesaid manifold also communicating withthe outlet valves from the crank case and with the explosion chambersfor supplying compressed air from the compression chambers and crankcase to the explosion chambers, said crankcase be ing divided intoair-tight compartments one arranged below each of said cylinders, and

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